glyphosate based pesticide – Organic Authorityhttp://www.organicauthority.com
Organic Authority - organic food, organic living, green living, organic thoughts.Fri, 09 Dec 2016 11:00:33 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.3Testing Foods for Glyphosate Toxicity is About to Be a Thinghttp://www.organicauthority.com/testing-foods-for-glyphosate-toxicity-is-about-to-be-a-thing/
Fri, 18 Sep 2015 07:00:38 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/?p=38065Glyphosate has gotten some bad press of late, most recently for being named a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, is at an all time high globally. But the weed killer, which is used on both food and non-food crops, is under fire because […]

Glyphosate has gotten some bad press of late, most recently for being named a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, is at an all time high globally. But the weed killer, which is used on both food and non-food crops, is under fire because of health concerns. And as a result, testing foods for glyphosate toxicity may become a reality.

The U.S. government may start testing foods for glyphosate residue as public concern over the pesticide mounts, according to Reuters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture tests for pesticide residue annually, but currently it does not test for glyphosate toxicity.

USDA’s Pesticide Data Program (PDP) is a national pesticide residue monitoring program. Its purpose is to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess dietary exposure. And according to the USDA, “PDP administers the sampling, testing, and reporting of pesticide residues on agricultural commodities in the U.S. food supply, with an emphasis on those commodities highly consumed by infants and children.”

Some food companies have already stepped up to the plate to do their own testing. Healthy Traditions, an online provider of whole, organic foods, has tested a number of its products for glyphosate residue including corn starch, popcorn, whole corn, flour, dried fruits, tomato sauce, raw honey, cane sugar, and maple syrup.

The company says that “[t]oday’s certifications and labeling have become so watered-down and confusing, that we thought it was time to define our own standards, so that the consumer can better understand the commitment we have to high standards that promote a healthy lifestyle.”

A number of alarming new studies have turned consumers off to the use of glyphosate. Last March, The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the French-based cancer research arm of the World Health Organization, listed glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. And a recent study found that being exposed to small amounts of Roundup weed killer—thousands of times lower than what’s permitted in U.S. drinking water—can damage the liver and kidneys.

Glyphosate is used along with a line of genetically modified Monsanto crops called Roundup Ready. Since the seeds have been modified to be immune to Roundup, copious amounts of the herbicide can be dumped on crops. Roundup kills everything around the crop, creating a dead zone. This causes the flora and fauna that once thrived around farms to die off. One particularly vulnerable species is the Monarch butterfly, which has been disappearing in large numbers. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the butterfly population has been reduced by 95 percent in the last 15 years. Monarchs feed on milkweed, a weed that’s been killed off across the country as a result of Roundup.

]]>2 Teen Workers Die in Monsanto Cornfield, 6 More Injuredhttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/2-teen-workers-die-on-monsanto-far-6-more-injured/
Thu, 04 Aug 2011 07:00:30 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=9750Monsanto, the biotech company that manufacturers glyphosate pesticide-resistant genetically modified Roundup Ready seeds, has announced changes in safety procedures for handling its GMO corn after the death of two Illinois teens and injuries to six other workers. The two teens, Jade Garza and Hannah Kendall, both 14, were detasseling the Monsanto corn when killed last […]

Monsanto, the biotech company that manufacturers glyphosate pesticide-resistant genetically modified Roundup Ready seeds, has announced changes in safety procedures for handling its GMO corn after the death of two Illinois teens and injuries to six other workers.

The two teens, Jade Garza and Hannah Kendall, both 14, were detasseling the Monsanto corn when killed last week. Detasseling is a process of removing the pollen flowers atop the corn stalks to reduce pollination and cross-contamination, and is considered a rite of passage for youth in the Midwest Corn Belt. While most commercial corn is detasseled with machines, it’s a common practice to have the teens follow up after the machine by walking through the cornfields to remove any remaining blooms.

The deaths occurred when the teens were electrocuted by a pivot irrigation system integral to the GMO cornfields, which Monsanto now says growers must unplug before detasseling crews can enter the fields. Workers were also advised to stay at least 10 yards away from the pivots, and are not to touch, climb or step over pivot irrigation wheels or pipes, in order to avoid the risk of electrocution. Phone calls to Monsanto about what caused its irrigation system malfunction were not returned.

Farming has traditionally been a high-risk job. According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, more than 700 lives are lost each year in farm-related accidents, and more than 150,000 injuries to farm workers are also reported each year. And, because children under age 15 are legally allowed to work on farms—which often includes handling dangerous machinery and tools—farm work has the highest injury rate among children workers.

]]>Monsanto's Roundup Pesticide Link to Birth Defects Hidden from Publichttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/monsantos-roundup-pesticide-link-to-birth-defects-hidden-from-public/
Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:00:25 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=9396In a recently released report by an international group of scientists funded by Earth Open Source, the team of researchers concluded that as far back as the 1980s, regulators knew that exposure to the glyphosate-based pesticide commonly marketed as Monsanto’s Roundup causes birth defects. The report, titled “Roundup and birth defects: Is the public being […]

In a recently released report by an international group of scientists funded by Earth Open Source, the team of researchers concluded that as far back as the 1980s, regulators knew that exposure to the glyphosate-based pesticide commonly marketed as Monsanto’s Roundup causes birth defects.

According to the study, the biotech industry has not only known of the malformation risks since the 1980s, but as far back as 1993, they’ve been aware that even at mild to low levels of exposure, the risks are still high for deformity.

The study’s authors write that although the health risks were widely known throughout the industry, the companies and regulators failed to inform the public about the serious risks of exposure. In Germany just last year, where their regulators have known of the potential threats since 1998, the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety told the Commission there was “no evidence of teratogenicity” (ability to cause birth defects) connected with glyphosate. Even though genetically modified foods are banned in Germany (and throughout most of Europe), the companion pesticide product, Roundup is not. Glyphosate was scheduled for review in 2012, but the Commission delayed the review along with 38 other pesticides until 2015.

One of the study’s co-authors and spokesperson for Earth Open Source, Claire Robinson, said, “This looks like a thirty-year cover-up by industry and regulators and it has certainly placed the public at risk. Roundup is used not only by farmers but by home gardeners and in school grounds and other public areas, in part because of false marketing claims that it is safe.”